Bed device for moving patients



Oct. 29, 1963 J. F. PARTRIDGE 3,108,290

BED DEVICE FOR MOVING PATIENTS Filed May 22, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.1.

32 6O v 84 80 a4 1 44 g 54 r u 1, 10 1 I g H .mm

Oct. 29, 1963 J. F. PARTRIDGE 3,108,290

BED DEVICE FOR MOVING PATIENTS 108 JESSE United States Patent 3,108,290 BED DEVICE FOR MOVING PATIENTS Jesse F. Partridge, R0. Box 68, Hewitt, Tex. Filed May 22, 1962, Ser. No. 196,686 6 Claims. (Cl. -88) This invention relates to attachments for hosiptal beds and the like for moving or lifting a patient on the bed, and more particularly to attachments of this type which may be removed from the bed for use as a portable stretcher.

It is an object of this invention to provide a detachable patient lifting means which may be easily detachably connected to any hospital bed without modification of the bed and which may also be attached to other beds which are not of the hospital type.

It is another object of the invention to provide an attachment for beds which permits shifting of the position of the patient in the bed, as from one of his sides to another, or from his back to his side, or lengthwise in the bed, and which also permits raising the patient above the level of the mattress to permit changing the bed linen, all without touching the patient and with complete comfort of the patient.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an attachment for beds including a patient lifting and supporting means which may be detached from the bed and used as a stretcher to transport the patient to a desired location.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a patient moving and lifting attachment for beds which includes a stabilizing means to prevent shifting or moving of the mattress as the patient is being moved by actuation of the moving and lifting attachment.

It is another object of the invention to provide a patient lifting and moving attachment for beds which includes an improved means for attaching the sheet or flexible patient supporting member to the shafts on which the sheet is wound.

In achievement of these objectives, there is provided in accordance with an embodiment of this invention a patient moving and lifting attachment for beds including angle members which are clamped to each of the four posts of the bed, and a support bracket carried by each angle member including bearing recesses which support for rotation a pair of oppositely disposed parallel shaft members extending longitudinally on each side of the bed. Opposite longitudinal edges of a sheet or other flexible patient supporting member are secured to the respective oppositely disposed parallel shaft members by a molding which clamps the hemmed edges of the sheet and a wire contained within the hemmed edge tightly againstthe surface of each shaft. Detachable crank members are provided and are received by the respective longitudinal shaft members to permit selectively rotating either of the longitudinal shaft members to lift one or both sides of the sheet in such manner as to turn or lift the patient as desired. The angle member attached to each bed post also supports a stabilizing shaft which prevents shifting of the mattress during movement of the patient, and also provides means for supporting the rotatable longitudinal shafts when they are not being used for moving or lifting the patient. The angle members attached to the bed posts also support bearing brackets at one or both ends of the bed which'receive a transversely-extending shaft at the head or foot of the bed which may be rotated to move a separate auxiliary sheet or the like lengthwise of the bed to shift the patient longitudinally of the bed. Telescopically adjustable transverse shafts may be connected between the longitudinal shafts at each end thereof, to

3,168,296 Patented Oct. 29, 1963 provide a detachable stretcher for transporting the patient to a desired location.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bed equipped with the patient moving and lifting attachment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bracket assembly including the angle member mounted on each post of the bed and the shaft support means carried by each angle member;

FIG. 3 is a detail perspective view showing the clamp connection of the sheet or other flexible patient supporting member to one of the longitudinal shafts of the patient moving and lifting attachment;

FIG. 4 is a detail view in horizontal section showing the clamp connection of the angle member to the bed post and also the connection of the mattress stabilizing shaft to a bracket carried by the angle member;

FIG. 5 is a view in elevation, partially cut away, of the head end of the bed, showing the patient moving and lifting attachment mounted thereon;

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation, partially cut away, showing the patient moving and lifting attachment mounted on one of the bed posts;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stretcher provided by detaching a portion of the patient lifting device from the bed; and

FIG. 8 is an end view, partially cut away, of the stretcher device of FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a bed, generally indicated at 10, including a headboard 12 and a footboard 14. Headboard 12 includes two vertical posts 16 and 18 joined by upper and lower connecting cross members 20 and 22, while footboard 14 includes a pair of vertical posts 24 and 26 joined by upper and lower connecting cross members 28 and 30. The bed structure also includes longitudinal connecting frame members not shown in the drawing between posts 16 and 24 on one side of the bed and between posts 18 and 26 on the opposite side of the bed.

Mounted on each of the posts 16, 18, 24, and 26 of the bed is a bracket assembly generally indicated at 32, including an angle member generally indicated at 34 having two flanges 36 and 38. An upper bearing bracket 40 and a short angle member 42 are both rigidly attached tothe outer face of flange 38 of angle member 34, with bearing bracket 40 being positioned above angle member 42. Short angle member 42 includes a flange 43 rigidly secured against the parallel flange 38 of angle member 34. Flange 45 of each angle member 42 extends longitudinally of the bed and has aflixed thereto a clip for a purpose to be hereinafter described. A bearing bracket 44 is rigidly attached to the inner face of flange 36 of angle member 34 and extends longitudinally in a forward direction from flange 36 and forwardly of headboard 12 for supporting a transverse winding shaft as will be hereinafter described.

Each bracket assembly 32 is detachably clamped to one of the posts 16, 18, 24-, 26 of the bed by means of a U- or C-shaped clamp 46 which straddles the bed post, as best seen in the view of FIG. 4, and receives screws 48 which extend through apertures in the flange 36 of angle 34 to tightly engage clamp member 46 with the bed post to hold each bracket assembly 32 rigidly in position on its respective post. The bracket assemblies 32 are all similar in construction, except that two of the bracket assemblies 32 are adapted for installation on a righthand post, while the other two bracket assemblies 32 are adapted for installation on a left-hand post.

As best seen in FIG. 2, upper bearing bracket 40 is provided with an upper bearing recess 50 which opens downwardly from the upper end of the bearing bracket, and a lower bearing recess 52 which opens laterally through the outer side wall of the bearing bracket 40. Corresponding bearing brackets 48 at opposite ends of the bed and on the same side of the bed face each other as best seen in FIG. 1 to permit the ends of a longitudinal hollow shaft 54 to be received in the beming recesses 50 or 52 of the bearing brackets 40 at the opposite ends of the bed. As will be explained in more detail hereinafter, shaft 54 is positioned in upper bearing recesses 50 principally when it is desired to raise the patient above the level of the mattress as for changing linen, while the shaft 54 is positioned in lower bearing recesses 52 of the oppositely disposed bearing brackets 40 when it is desired to turn the patient as from side to side or side to back.

At least one end of the bed on each side thereof, the flange 38 of the angle member 34 is provided with an aperture 56 which receives the shaft of a hand crank 58 for rotating shaft 54. The ends of crank 58 and shaft 54 are provided with a cooperating square end and square socket whereby rotation of crank 58 is effective to impart rotation to shaft 54.

A strong sheet or other flexible member 60' upon which the patient rests is secured along each of its opposite longitudinal edges to one of the respective parallel shafts 54 in the manner best seen in FIG. 3. A molding generally indicated at 61 which extends for substantially the entire length of shaft 54 includes a long leg or flange 62 and a short leg or flange 64 bent at an angle slightly less than 90 degrees with respect to flange 62. The sheet or other flexible member 60 on which the patient rests includes a hem 65 extending along the edge thereof and a wire 66 or other suitable filamentary member extends lengthwise through the hem of the sheet. The hemmed end of the sheet 60, including the wire 66 therein is positioned beneath the shout flange 64 of molding member 61, and the molding is then tightly fastened to the surface of shaft 54 by means of screw fastenings 68, so that the hemmed end of the sheet, including the wire therein, is tightly gripped or clamped against the surface of shaft 54 and is received in the corner defined between the legs 62 and 64 of molding 61. The sheet 60 is thereby securely held tightly engaged with respect to shaft 54 so that shaft 54 may be rotated to wind the sheet 69 thereon. The construction just described also permits easy removal of sheet 60 from its connection to shaft 54 when desired, as when the sheet mus-t be removed for laundering.

The opposite longitudinal edges of sheet 60 are engaged with the oppositely disposed parallel shafts 54 in the manner just described, so that when crank 58 of shaft 54 on one side of the bed is turned, it will elevate the sheet on that side of the bed in such manner as to rotate the patient gently from one of his sides to the other or from his back to his side, without the necessity of touching the patient. The crank may then be returned to its initial position in which the sheet lays fiat against the mattress. If it is desired to lift the patient above the level of the mattress to change the under linen or for other purposes, one of the shafts 54 is locked in position in the upper bearing recess 50 by means of an L-pin 59 passing through aligned apertures in shaft 54 and in the bearing bracket 40, while the other shaft is positioned for rotation in the upper bearing recesses 50 on the opposite side of the bed. Crank 58 of the unlocked shaft 54 is rotated to gradually raise the level of sheet 60 above the level of the mattress. When the sheet has been raised to the necessary height, the shaft 54 which was rotated may be locked in position by means of an L-pin 59 passing through aligned apertures in bearing bracket 40 and in shaft 54.

When the opposite parallel shafts 54 are not in use for turning or lifting the patient, they may be removed from either the bearing recesses 50 or 52 in which they happen to be positioned, and placed in the clip members 70 carried by the flange 45 of short angle 42 mounted on flange 38 of angle 34 of each of the bracket assemblies 32 below the upper bearing bracket 40. Shaft 54 may be held in position with respect to clip members 70 by means of the L-pins 59' which extend through aligned apertures in shaft 54 and in clip member 70.

In order to stabilize the mattress against movement during the shifting of the patient, a mattress stabilizing device is provided as part of the apparatus, as best seen in FIG. 2. The mattress stabilizing device includes a hollow shaft or pipe 72 extending lengthwise of the bed and including an integrally attached cap or end member 74 of slightly larger diameter than the shaft or pipe 72. The end member 74 is provided with a slot 76 extending inwardly from the outer end thereof, and the shaft 72 with its attached slotted end 74 is engaged with the longitudinally extending flange 45 of angle member 42. An L-pin 59 extends through mating apertures in flange 45 of angle 42 and in slotted end member 74 to secure shaft 72 in position with respect to angle 42 and bracket assembly '32. Mattress stabilizing shaft 72 bears against the mattress to prevent any shifting of the mattress during movement imparted to the patient by movement of sheet 60 supported by shafts 54. A molding 61 similar to that shown in FIG. 3 on shaft 54 is attached to mattress stabilizing shaft 72. A mattress cover of plastic or other suitable material may overlie the mattress and be securely clamped in position by the molding 61' on mattress stabilizing shaft 72.

The longitudinally extending bearing bracket 44 which is secured to flange 36 of angle member 34, as best seen in FIG. 2, has a bearing passage 78 therein to rotatably support a hollow transverse shaft 80 at the head of the bed and positioned in longitudinally spaced relation a short distance beyond headboard 12. A crank member 82 detachably connected in driving relation to shaft 80 by means of the engagement of the square end on one of the members with a square socket on the other of the members. Eyelets 84 are secured to shaft 80 and receive the ends of tie-cords 86 which may be attached to an auxiliary sheet 88 of strong, flexible material separate from that attached to longitudinal shafts 54, to permit moving the patient longitudinally in the bed toward the head of the bed. Thus, for example, with the patient lying on his side, the sheet 88 of material may be positioned alongside the patient but not underneath the patient. The patient is then turned on his back so as to lie on the auxiliary sheet 88. Shaft 80 is then rotated by means of the hand crank 82 to wind auxiliary sheet 88 onto shaft 80, thereby slidably moving the patient lengthwise along the bed toward the head of the bed. A similar shaft 80 and hand crank 82 may be supported by bearing brackets 44 and bearings 78 at the foot of the bed to permit a similar sliding movement of the patient toward the foot of the bed. In either case, after the patient has been slidably moved to the desired position lengthwise of the bed, the auxiliary sheet 88 is preferably detached from the shaft 80 and is removed from engagement with the bed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the bearing bracket 44 at the head of the bed extends forwardly of the headboard 12 (that is, in a direction away from footboard 14), and the tie cords 86 attached to eyelets 84 extend through the open headboard for attachment to auxiliary sheet 88.

Where the headboard 12 is of solid construction, the bearing bracket 44 may extend in the opposite direction, or in the direction of footboard 14, so that bearings 78 will support shaft 80 rearwardly of headboard 12, that is, spaced from the side of headboard 12 which faces the footboard 14. This may be done by mounting bearing bracket 44 as the longitudinally extending arm of an angle secured to the rearwardly extending face of flange 38 of angle 34, or by providing other equivalent mounting arrangement for bearing 78.

As best seen in the views of FIGS. 7 and 8, the longitudinal shafts 54 and the sheet 80 attached therebetween may be used to form an auxiliary portable stretcher generally indicated at 90. This conversion may be accomplished by rotating one of the cranks 58 to remove the slack in sheet 60, then removing cranks 58 from engagement with the ends of shafts 54 and connecting cross members generally indicated at 92 between each pair of corresponding ends of the two parallel shafts 54. Each of the cross members 92 is formed of two telescopic hollow shaft sections 94 and 96 which may be adjusted to the required length and held in the adjusted position by means of L-pins passing through aligned apertures 100 in the telescopically-engaged members 94 and 96. Each of the telescopic shaft sections 94 and 96 includes at the outer end thereof and integrally attached cap or end portion 102 to which is affixed a clip 104 which tightly frictionally engages an end of the adjacent shaft 54. The stretcher assembly with the patient lying thereon is then removed from the bed by raising shafts 54 out of engagement with the bearing recesses 50 or 52.

The stretcher member may also be provided with support legs 106 at each of the four corners thereof, the legs 106 being held in position by bolts 108 received in threaded passages in the end members 102 of the telescopic sections 94 and 96.

It can be seen from the foregoing that there is provided in accordance with this invention an attachment for hospital beds and the like which may be easily attached to a hospital bed, and, in fact, to almost any bed having posts at the four corners thereof. The attachment of the invention permits the sheet or the like underlying the patient to be wound onto one of the longitudinal shafts to move the patient from side to side or from his back to his side, and also permits the sheet or other flexible member to be entirely raised above the level of the mattress to permit changing of the underlying linens on the bed. The attachment mechanism also includes means for shifting the patient longitudinally along the bed, and also permits part of the assembly to be removed to form a portable stretcher. It can be seen, therefore, that the structure hereinbefore described has great utility and practical value.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and, therefore, it is aimed to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A patient moving and lifting attachment for a bed, comprising separate bracket means for attachment to each of the corner supports of the bed, means securing each bracket means to its corresponding corner support, a pair of parallel longitudinal shafts respectively extending lengthwise on each side of the bed, each of said bracket means including open bearing means above the mattress level of the bed detachably supporting for rotation an end of the longitudinal shaft on the same side of the bed as the respective bracket means, a flexible sheet-like member detachably connected along its opposite longitudinal edges to the two longitudinal shafts on opposite sides of the bed, each of said shafts including means for detachably receiving a rotating means in driving relation thereto, additional bearing means carried by a pair of said bracket means at opposite sides of a given end of the bed, a lateral shaft supported for rotation in said additional bearing means, said lateral shaft including means for detachably receiving a rotating means in driving relation to said lateral shaft, and means for attaching an auxiliary sheet-like member to said lateral shaft for imparting longitudinal movement to a patient in the bed upon rotation of said lateral shaft.

2. A patient moving and lifting attachment for a bed, comprising a separate angle member for attachment to each of the corner supports of the bed, means securing each angle member to its corresponding corner support, a pair of parallel longitudinal shafts respectively extending lengthwise on each side of the bed, a first bearing bracket attached to each of said angle members and including open bearing means above the mattress level of the bed detachably supporting for rotation an end of the longitudinal shaft on the same side of the bed as the respective first bearing bracket, each of said shafts in cluding means for detachably receiving a crank in driving relation thereto, a flexible sheet-like member detachably connected along its opposite longitudinal edges to the two longitudinal shafts on opposite sides of the bed, additional bearing means carried by a pair of angle members at opposite sides of a given end of the bed, a lateral shaft supported for rotation in said additional bearing means, said lateral shaft including means for detachably receiving a crank in driving relation thereto, and means for attaching an auxiliary sheet-like member to said lateral shaft for imparting longitudinal movement to a patient in the bed upon rotation of said lateral shaft.

3. A patient moving and lifting and lifting attachment for a bed, comprising a separate angle member for attachment to each of the corner supports of the bed, means clamping each angle member to its corresponding corner support, a pair of parallel longitudinal shafts respectively extending lengthwise on each side of the bed, a first bearing bracket attached to each of said angle members and including open bearing means above the mattress level of the bed detachably supporting for rotation an end of the longitudinal shaft on the same side of the bed as the respective first bearing bracket, each of said shafts including means for detachably receiving a crank in driving relation thereto, means for individually locking said shafts against rotation, a flexible sheet-like member detachably connected along its opposite longitudinal edges to the two longitudinal shafts on opposite sides of the bed, additional bearing means carried by a pair of angle members at opposite sides of a given end of the bed, a lateral shaft supported for rotation in said additional bearing means, said lateral shaft including means for detachably receiving a crank in driving relation thereto, and means for attaching an auxiliary sheetlike member to said lateral shaft for imparting longitudinal movement to a patient in the bed upon rotation of said lateral shaft.

4. A patient moving and lifting attachment for a bed, including separate bracket means for attachment to each of the corner supports of the bed, a pair of parallel longitudinal shafts respectively extending lengthwise on each side of the bed, each of said bracket means including open bearing means detachably supporting for rotation an end of the longitudinal shaft on the same side of the bed as the respective bracket means, a molding member extending longitudinally along the outer surface of each of said longitudinal shafts for substantially the entire length thereof and detachably attached to the respective shafts, a flexible sheet-like member having its opposite longitudinal edges detachably secured beneath the molding members attached to the respective opposite parallel longitudinal shafts, crank means detachably connected to said longitudinal shafts for rotating said shafts, additional bearing means carried by a pair of said bracket means at a given end of the bed, a lateral shaft supported for rotation in said additional bearing means, said lateral shaft including means for detachably receiving a crank in driving relation thereto, means for attaching an auxiliary sheet to said lateral shaft for imparting longitudinal movement to a patient in the bed upon rotation of said lateral shaft, a separate mattress stabilizing means extending lengthwise of the bed on each side of the bed adjacent the mattress to prevent shifting of the mattress during movement of the sheet-like members, and means connecting each mattress stabilizing means to the bracket means at the head and foot ends of the bed on the 7 same side of the bed as the respective mattress stabilizing means.

5. A patient moving and lifting attachment for a bed, as defined in claim 4, in which said bracket means includes additional means located at a level below said open bearing means for supporting an end of one of said longitudinal shafts when not in use for moving or lifting a patient.

6. A patient moving and lifting attachment for a bed as defined in claim 4 in which each of said bracket means includes an upper and a lower open bearing means for selectively supporting an end of one of said longitudinal shafts in upper and lower positions above the mattress level.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Douglas Dec. 8,

Wilson Dec. 7,

Segesman et a1 Sept. 13,

Melzer Mar. 10,

Burkert Oct. 20,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 30, 

1. A PATIENT MOVING AND LIFTING ATTACHMENT FOR A BED, COMPRISING SEPARATE BRACKET MEANS FOR ATTACHMENT TO EACH OF THE CORNER SUPPORTS OF THE BED, MEANS SECURING EACH BRACKET MEANS TO ITS CORRESPONDING CORNER SUPPORT, A PAIR OF PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL SHAFTS RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING LENGTHWISE ON EACH SIDE OF THE BED, EACH OF SAID BRACKET MEANS INCLUDING OPEN BEARING MEANS ABOVE THE MATTRESS LEVEL OF THE BED DETACHABLY SUPPORTING FOR ROTATION AN END OF THE LONGITUDINAL SHAFT ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE BED AS THE RESPECTIVE BRACKET MEANS, A FLEXIBLE SHEET-LIKE MEMBER DETACHABLY CONNECTED ALONG ITS OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF THE TWO LONGITUDINAL SHAFTS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BED, EACH OF SAID SHAFTS INCLUDING MEANS FOR DETACHABLY RECEIVING A ROTATING MEANS IN DRIVING RELATION THERETO, ADDITIONAL BEARING MEANS CARRIED BY A PAIR OF SAID BRACKET MEANS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF A GIVEN END OF THE BED, A LATERAL SHAFT SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION IN SAID ADDITIONAL BEARING MEANS, SAID LATERAL SHAFT INCLUDING MEANS FOR DETACHABLY RECEIVING A ROTATION MEANS IN DRIVING RELATION TO SAID LATERAL SHAFT, AND MEANS FOR ATTACHING AN AUXILIARY SHEET-LIKE MEMBER TO SAID SHAFT FOR IMPARTING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT TO A PATIENT IN THE BED UPON ROTATION OF SAID LATERAL SHAFT. 